System and method for integrated player tracking and cash access

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating player tracking and cash access in a casino or other gaming environment. One aspect of the invention allows for fund access and management wherein gaming machines, such as slot machines, receive playable credits directly from a patron&#39;s banking or credit card account. Another aspect of the present invention relates to integrating player tracking and cash access transactions by allowing the players to provide a player tracking card for each financial transaction conducted in the casino. In return, the casino issues gaming or bonus points to the players for allowing their transactions to be tracked. Yet another aspect of the present invention consolidates the players&#39; financial account information into a single casino database. Players can subsequently credit or debit cash from the players&#39; financial accounts using any associated customer identification cards or otherwise receive such credits in other forms that permit negotiations, including quasi-cash documents.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/957,283, filed Oct. 1, 2004 and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/508,063, filed Oct. 1, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for integratingplayer tracking and cash access transactions in a casino environment.Specifically, the invention relates to a system and method, used in avariety of environments including casinos, to facilitatecash-access/credit-access and player tracking.

Casino gaming is a highly popular activity in today's society. Oftentimes, enjoyment of the casino gaming experience is predicated upon aplayer's ability to easily and effectively access a sufficient supply ofmoney, which in turn allows the player to participate in gamingactivities for a desired length of time. Casino patrons typicallyattempt to bring a sufficient amount of currency to the casino that canbe used with various gaming machines or exchanged for negotiable chipsor casino-issued cards. Not infrequently, however, patrons forget tobring a sufficient amount of currency to the casino or patrons depletethe supply they brought before they are ready for the gaming experienceto end.

In these instances, the casino patrons will want to access additionalcurrency, or otherwise extend their time playing the casino games, bywithdrawing the necessary currency from a financial institution at whichthe player maintains an account. For example, a player with a financialinstitution card, such as a credit card, debit card, or bank card, canutilize an automated teller machine (ATM) that is located on thecasino's premises to withdraw currency.

Such financial institution transactions are commonplace in casinos.However, existing cash access and cash advance systems often requiremanual entry of customer identification information as part of thetransaction. Existing systems may also require the players to remembermultiple PIN's that are associated with each of their financialintuition accounts or require that the players retrieve cash at an ATMand then physically transport the cash to a gaming machine. Althoughthese current processes allow access to currency, players continue tolook for more convenience while at the casino. Therefore, a need existsfor a system and method of facilitating expeditious cash/credit accessfor players in a casino environment that minimizes the complicationsthat currently exist for such transactions.

In addition to the complications that hinder current cash/credit accesssystems and methods, these current systems and methods also fail toprovide comprehensive tracking of the players' financial transactions incasinos. While it is commonplace to attempt to track some of thepatrons' actions in a casino that relate to gaming, these attemptstypically fail to capture many financial transactions that occur on thecasino's premises and to provide a comprehensive picture of the cashflow in the casino. Often casinos will provide patrons with playertracking cards that the player inserts at gaming machines, which allowsthe casino to monitor some of the patrons' gaming activities. As anincentive to use the player tracking cards, casinos often award gamingpoints to the patrons to encourage use of the cards. However, manyfinancial transactions that occur in a casino are not effectivelymonitored or tracked by the casino.

The quality and breadth of current player tracking can be increased byproviding additional incentives to the players. Therefore, in additionto the need for facilitating expeditious cash/credit accesstransactions, there is a concurrent need for providing morecomprehensive tracking of players' financial transactions in casinos.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a system and method forintegrating player tracking and cash access in a casino or other gamingenvironment.

Integrated Player Tracking/Cash Access System on Gaming Machine

One aspect of the present invention relates to a system and method foraccessing and managing funds for cashless gaming. A gaming machine isprovided, which includes any type of apparatus designed for playerbetting such as a slot machine, and is located in a casino environment.To initiate a transaction, a player provides a bank card to the gamingmachine. The phrase “bank card” encompasses any card issued to theplayer by a bank or another financial institution. For instance, thebank card may be an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, debit card,credit card, or POS card. The bank card typically bares a magnetic stripthat includes machine readable information that can be read by amagnetic strip reader on the gaming machine. The bank card may beassociated with an independent financial account that is typicallyunrelated to the casino.

After the player's bank card is introduced to the gaming machine, themachine electronically reads the card and retrieves the machine readableinformation. The gaming machine processes the information to translateit into a machine usable format, such as binary or hexadecimal code.After successfully processing the bank card, the gaming machine promptsthe player to select a transaction type, such as a credit or debittransaction. Upon receiving a selection from the player to perform acredit transaction, which requests that credit be added to the gamingmachine, the machine prompts the player to enter a desired credit valuethat the player wishes to add to the machine. If necessary, the machinewill also prompt the player to enter a Personal Identification Number(PIN) that is associated with the independent financial account.

Once the gaming machine has collected the transaction type and desiredcreditvalue from the player, along with any other necessary information,the machine electronically issues a request to the independent financialaccount to transfer the desired credit value from the financial accountto the gaming machine. The credit request includes the desired creditvalue and at least a portion of the data derived from the machinereadable information, and the request is transmitted to an authorizationcenter that is associated with the financial account. The authorizationcenter determines whether to approve the request and acts as anintermediary between the gaming machine and the financial account. Uponapproval of the request, the desired credit value is electronicallytransferred from the financial account to the gaming machine, and theplayer is then able to use the transferred credit on the gaming machine.This system and method allow a player to directly access funds forplaying on a gaming machine without first visiting an ATM or otherintermediate step for acquiring cash or credit.

When the gaming machine prompts the player to select a transaction type,the player may also select a debit transaction on the gaming machine. Adebit transaction requests that the credit remaining on the gamingmachine after the player has finished using the machine, or any creditwon by the player on the gaming machine, be transferred to theindependent financial account. The request effectively attempts to debitthe gaming machine and credit the independent financial account. Uponreceiving a selection from the player to perform a debit transaction,the gaming machine electronically issues a request to debit the player'sgaming balance and transfer it to the independent financial account. Thedebit request, which is transferred to the authorization center,includes the dollar value to transfer and at least a portion of themachine readable information on the bank card. The authorization centerdetermines whether to approve the request, and, upon approval, thewinnings from the gaming machine are electronically transferred to theindependent financial account.

Integrated Player Tracking/Cash Access System on ATM, CCCA, and CheckCashing Terminals

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a system and methodfor integrating player tracking and cash access transactions in a gamingenvironment. To initiate a cash access transaction, a player introducesa bank card into a banking machine in a casino environment. The bankingmachine may take a variety of forms, such as an ATM, Credit Card CashAdvance kiosk (CCCA), Check Cashing Terminal, and a gaming deviceequipped with cashless gaming software. As previously noted, the term“bank card” includes any of the various card types issued by banks orother financial institutions, and the bank card typically bares amagnetic strip that includes machine readable information. The bankingmachine includes a magnetic strip reader that can read and process themachine readable information on the card. The bank card is alsoassociated with an independent financial account that is typicallyunrelated to the casino.

After the player's bank card is introduced to the banking machine, themachine electronically reads the card and retrieves the machine readableinformation. The banking machine processes the information to translateit into a machine usable format, such as binary or hexadecimal code.After successfully processing the bank card, the banking machine promptsthe player to enter a transaction type. If the player wishes to withdrawcash from the independent financial account, the player may select acash withdrawal transaction on the banking machine and indicate adesired cash value.

The system maintains a database of bankcard numbers and associates eachof those numbers to a player's name and, optionally, a player trackingnumber. In order to track the transaction and associate it with thespecific player performing the cash request, the banking machine promptsthe player to provide his or her player tracking card (PTC) into themachine. The PTC is typically a casino-issued card that includes aunique identifier and is associated with the player in a playertransaction database. The database may include a variety of dataincluding a player profile, player transaction information, and otherdata relating to the player's activities in the casino. The playerswipes or feeds the PTC into the banking machine, and the machineelectronically processes the PTC. For instance, if the unique identifieron the PTC is encoded in a barcode, the banking machine will include abarcode reader capable of reading the barcode and decoding the encodedunique identifier. Alternatively, if the unique identifier on the PTC isencoded in a magnetic strip, the banking machine includes a magneticstrip reader for reading the strip and decoding the unique identifier.

After acquiring the appropriate data from the bank card, the PTC, andthe player, the banking machine electronically issues a request to theindependent financial account to withdraw the desired cash value. Thewithdrawal request includes the desired value and at least a portion ofthe machine readable information on the bank card, and the request istransmitted to an authorization center. The authorization center isassociated with the financial account and determines whether to approvethe request. Upon approval of the request, the desired cash value iselectronically transferred from the financial account to the bankingmachine and dispensed to the player in cash or gaming credit form.

The transaction is tracked so that the player's identity and the cashwithdrawal amount are associated and stored in the transaction database.The transaction information can subsequently be used by the casino. Thetransaction information can provide the casino with valuable consumerbehavior data, such as amounts and frequency of cash withdrawals bycasino patrons. The casino, in turn, may issue gaming points to theplayer. The gaming points reward the player for offering the transactioninformation to the casino and for allowing that information to betracked. Typically, gaming points can be redeemed for a variety of goodsand services, such as free or discounted meals at the casino, hotelaccommodations, and gift shop items. The number of points awarded to theplayer may be based on a variety of factors such as the number of cashwithdrawal transactions performed by the player or the amount of cashwithdrawn by the player. The overall system of integrating cash accessand player tracking transactions thereby benefits both the players andthe casino.

In an alternative embodiment, the system may operate without amulti-function banking machine that is capable of performing both cashaccess and player tracking functions as described above. Rather thanprovide the bank card and the PTC to a banking machine, these same cardsmay instead be presented to a casino representative. For instance, thecasino may provide a central “cage” station at which a teller isavailable for processing the bank card and the PTC. If necessary, theteller will have card readers capable of processing magnetic strips,barcodes, or other forms of encoded information that resides on the bankcard and the PTC. The teller will also have access to the transactiondatabase and the authorization center, thereby allowing the teller tofacilitate cash access and player tracking transactions. Aside from theadded element of interacting with a casino representative, thisalternative method operates similarly to the system described above.

Multi-Function Player Tracking Card

Yet another aspect of the present invention also relates to a system andmethod for integrating player tracking and enhanced cash access servicesin a gaming environment. First, an account is opened for a player at thecasino. The system requires an initial setup by the player, where theplayer provides information to the casino. This is accomplished byhaving the player complete a form that includes personal data andinformation relating to at least one of the player's independentfinancial accounts. For instance, the player may provide the accountinformation for one of the player's banking accounts or credit cardaccounts. The account information may include the player's name andother identifying information, an account and routing number, and aPersonal Identification Number (PIN) if necessary to access thefinancial account. The player may also be required to provide otherpersonal information such as the player's address, telephone number, andsocial security number. The information provided by the player is eitherentered electronically into a computer or entered onto a paper form andlater entered into a computer by a casino representative. The player mayalso be required to prove his or her identity by providing astate-issued identification card, such as a driver's license.

Once the player has provided the appropriate personal information andaccount information, that information is stored in a player trackingdatabase. The player is then issued a PTC that contains a uniqueidentifier. The unique identifier is also stored in the player trackingdatabase and associated with the player's personal information andfinancial account information.

With the player's casino account successfully opened, the player is ableto use the PTC to access cash or credit for gaming purposes in thecasino. For example, a cash access machine of the present invention,such as a multi-function ATM, may be adapted to electronically processthe PTC. The cash access machine reads and electronically processes thePTC to retrieve the unique identifier. If the unique identifier on thecard is encoded in a barcode, the cash access machine will include abarcode reader capable of reading and decoding the unique identifier.The machine then prompts the player to select a transaction type, and,in response, the player elects to perform a cash withdrawal.

The cash access machine communicates with the player tracking databaseto determine which financial account is associated with the uniqueidentifier on the player's PTC. If more than one financial account isassociated with the unique identifier, the machine may prompt the playerto select one of the accounts for the withdrawal. Next, the cash accessmachine electronically issues a withdrawal request to the selectedfinancial account to withdraw the desired cash value. The requestincludes the desired cash value and the necessary account informationand PIN associated with the financial account, which the player providedat the time he or she opened the casino account.

The withdrawal request is transmitted to an authorization center that isassociated with the financial account, and the authorization centerdetermines whether to approve the request. Upon approval of the request,the desired cash value is electronically transferred from the financialaccount to the cash access machine. If the machine is an ATM, the cashvalue is typically dispensed to the player in cash form, which theplayer can then use in the casino. If the machine is a slot machine, orother gaming machine, the cash value may be directly credited to themachine and used for gaming purposes.

Importantly, because the financial account information is initiallyprovided by the player and stored in the player tracking database, thesubsequent withdrawal request can be issued to the independent financialaccount without requiring a bank card, such as an ATM card or creditcard, from the player. The player tracking database links the uniqueidentifier on the casino-issued PTC with all the necessary financialaccount information necessary to withdraw cash.

The withdrawal transaction is also tracked by the casino such that theunique identifier on the player's card and the cash withdrawal amountare associated with each other and stored in the transaction database.The casino may then issue gaming points to the player based on thenumber of withdrawal transactions or the amount withdrawn. If the playeris identified by the system, the player tracking database may also storethe awarded gaming points and associate them with the player's uniqueidentifier. The gaming points reward the player for offering cashwithdrawal information to the casino and for electing to use the systemof the present invention to obtain cash or credit in the casino. Thesystem thereby benefits both the player and the casino by integratingcash access and player tracking.

Other embodiments are also disclosed including the use of an ATM orsimilarly equipped gaming machine for authorizing the transfer of moneyto the machine or ATM in order to be converted into a casino ticket. Inthis context, a casino ticket can be any number of identification cardsor systems including a paper ticket with a bar code, a magnetic stripecard, a smart card, RFID or other portable digital memory that isencoded with personal and financial information. This casino ticket canthen be used on another gaming machine as credit in connection withcasino gaming or redeemed for cash. In the preferred embodiment, inorder to redeem the casino ticket for cash, the customer can eitherpresent the casino ticket for validation by a cashier at a cashier cageor insert the casino ticket into a ticket redemption kiosk (includingkiosks integrated with one or more casino game machines or othermulti-purpose entertainment devices). The casino ticket could also becreated in a way that permits (or limits) negotiation within differentgeographical areas (such as a group of mutually linked casinos,restaurants and service providers), to acquire different products orservices (such as 50% or more must be used to purchase goods), totrigger different bonuses or awards (free games, discounts, casinopoints), or any number of features that either limit negotiation orenhance the functionality and features available to the player. Theseand other embodiments will be further described with reference to thefigures below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated player tracking and cashaccess system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for initiating a playertracking/cash access transaction on a gaming machine in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for completing a playertracking/cash access transaction where the gaming machine is credited inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for completing a playertracking/cash access transaction where a credit card account is creditedin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method for completing a playertracking/cash access transaction where a checking or savings account iscredited in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method for integrating player tracking andcash access transactions in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a another method for integrating playertracking and cash access transactions in accordance with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 provides a flow diagram illustrating one system and method thatcan be used for converting a ATM/POS debit/credit transaction into anegotiable casino ticket linked to a player tracking card in accordancewith the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of an integrated player tracking and cash-access system100 is shown in FIG. 1. In a preferred embodiment, the system 100, whichcontains the elements described herein, is operated in a casinoenvironment. The system 100 includes players 110 who interact with aplurality of gaming machines 120 and banking machines 130. The playersinteract with the machines through any methods known in the art such asbuttons and touch-sensitive screens. A player 110 is issued a bank card135 and a player tracking card (PTC) 140 as described in more detailherein. The gaming machine 120 and the banking machine 130 areconfigured to read the information contained on the bank card 135 and aPTC 140 as provided for in more detail below.

The PTC 140 is typically a casino-issued card, which is used to trackthe player's actions in the casino. The casino may award gaming pointsfor certain player actions and associates the gaming points with thePTC. The bank card 135 may be any type of card that is issued to theplayer 110 by a bank or other independent financial institution, and thebank card is associated with an independent financial account at thefinancial institution. For instance, the bank card 135 may be anAutomated Teller Machine (ATM) card, debit card, credit card, or POScard. The bank card 135 includes machine readable information, which, ina preferred embodiment, is encoded in a magnetic strip (not shown) onthe card that can be read by a card reader (not shown) on the gamingmachine 120.

As described in more detail below, a player 110 can bring his or herbank card 135 or PTC 140 to either the gaming machine 120 or the bankingmachine 130. The gaming machine 120 is configured to perform traditionalgaming functions, such as providing an interactive slot machine game,and is also configured to allow the player 110 to perform cashlessgaming and player tracking transactions. The banking machine 130 isconfigured to perform traditional transactions such as cash withdrawal,credit/debit transactions, and electronic fund transfers, which are wellknown in the art. The banking machine 130 of the present invention isalso configured to perform cashless gaming and player trackingtransactions as described herein.

To perform these functions, both the gaming machine 120 and the bankingmachine 130 communicate with an authorization server 150 to transmitinformation relating to the bank card 135 and a PTC 140 as well as otherinformation relating to cash-access and player tracking transactions.While the authorization sever 150 is typically located at or near thecasino environment, it may also be physically located outside of thecasino so long as it is configured to communicate with the gamingmachine 120 and the banking machine 130. The casino, or a casino vendor,will typically maintain the authorization server 150 to ensure that itfunctions properly. The authorization server 150 stores a subset of theinformation it receives on a transaction database 160, a cashless gamingdatabase 170, and a player's club database 180. The authorization server150 also retrieves information from these databases, includinginformation that is stored on the databases by the authorization server150 as well as other information that resides on the databases.

The transaction database 160 stores information relating to the player'stransactions including the types of transactions performed by the player110 and the dollar amounts of those transactions. The transactiondatabase 160 associates the transaction information with an identifierthat uniquely identifies the player 110. In addition, the transactiondatabase 160 may also store information regarding the player's credithistory. When a commission is collected for utilizing the integratedplayer tracking and cash-access system 100, the appropriate commissioninformation for each player 110 is also stored on the transactiondatabase 160 as are commission fee overrides for certain players such asVIP's. The cashless gaming database 170 stores financial accountinformation provided by the player 110, and the cashless gaming database170 associates the account information with the player's uniqueidentifier. The gaming points awarded to the player 110 are associatedwith the PTC 140 and stored on the player's club database 180. Theplayer's club database 180 maintains each players' total awarded gamingpoints and increments and decrements the total points according to theplayers' accumulation and usage of points.

The authorization server 150 many also communicate with variousauthorization centers 190 to request authorization for the varioustransactions described herein. The authorization centers 190 aretypically associated with financial accounts owned by the player and areconfigured to either credit or debit those financial accounts.

Integrated Player Tracking/Cash Access System on Gaming Machine

In operation, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, one aspect of thepresent invention relates to a system and method for accessing andmanaging funds for cashless gaming. At step 200, the player 110 selectseither a standard gaming transaction or a cashless gaming transaction,and the banking machine receives the selection. At step 210, if theplayer 110 selects a standard gaming transaction, the gaming machine 120operates as a traditional betting apparatus, such as a slot machine, andthe player 110 uses cash or another known method to acquire credits onthe gaming machine 110.

At step 220, if the player 110 wishes to perform a cashless transaction,which will credit the gaming machine 120, the player 110 provides thebank card 135 to the gaming machine 120. The player 110 swipes the bankcard 135 through a card reader (not shown) of the gaming machine 120 orotherwise introduces the bank card 135 to the gaming machine 120 througha method known in the art.

After the player's bank card 135 is introduced to the gaming machine120, the card reader electronically reads and decodes the machinereadable information on the bank card 135. The gaming machine 120processes the information to translate it into a machine usable format,such as binary or hexadecimal code. After successfully processing thebank card 135, the gaming machine 120 prompts the player to select atransaction type, such as crediting the gaming machine 120 or creditinga financial account that is associated with the bank card 135. At step230, the player 110 selects a cashless transaction type. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the transaction types include“Credit Gaming Machine,” “Credit to Credit Card,” and “Deposit toChecking/Savings.”

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, if the player 110 selects thetransaction type “Credit to Gaming Machine,” step 300, the gamingmachine 120 proceeds with a gaming machine credit transaction, whichrequests that a specified credit be added to the gaming machine 120 fromthe player's independent financial account. At step 310, the gamingmachine 120 prompts the player 110 to enter a desired credit value thatthe player 110 wishes to add to the gaming machine 120. If necessary,the gaming machine 120 will also prompt the player 110 to enter a PIN,which is used to verify permission to access to the independentfinancial account, and any other information that is required totransfer funds from the independent financial account.

At step 320, the gaming machine 120 electronically issues a debitrequest, such as a Point of Sale (POS) debit request, to theauthorization server 150, which attempts to debit the independentfinancial account and credit the gaming machine 120. The requestincludes the desired credit value and at least a portion of the dataderived from the machine readable information.

Although the request attempts to transfer the desired credit value tothe gaming machine 120, the total amount requested from the independentfinancial account may actually exceed the desired credit value when acommission is charged for performing the transaction. The authorizationserver 150 determines the total amount to request from the independentfinancial account; the total amount is typically the desired creditvalue plus a commission or transaction fee. The appropriate commissionmay be determined based on the specific player 110 requesting the fundsand a player profile that is associated with the player. The playerprofile (not shown), which indicates the player's preference level, maybe stored on the transaction database 160 or player's club database 180.For instance, a new player may have a standard commission taken out ofhis or her winnings, whereas a VIP player may have the commission waivedaltogether based on the VIP's player profile.

At step 330, once the total request amount has been established, theauthorization sever 150 transmits the debit request to the authorizationcenter 190, which is associated with the independent financial account.At step 340, the authorization center 190 determines whether to approvethe request. At step 350, if the request is not approved by theauthorization center 190, a decline message is transmitted from theauthorization center 190 to the authorization server 150. Theauthorization server then 150 instructs the gaming machine 120 todisplay a message to the player 110 indicating that the gaming machine120 was not credited and that the player 110 may see a casino cashier(not shown) if the player believes an error has occurred.

At step 360, if the request is approved by the authorization center 190,the desired credit value is electronically transferred from thefinancial account to the gaming machine 120 via the authorization server150. If a commission is required for the transaction, the additionalamount of the commission is also transferred from the independentfinancial account. The desired credit value is credited to the gamingmachine 120, and the player 110 is able to use the transferred credit toplace bets on the gaming machine 120 and perform standard gamingtransactions as described in step 210.

At step 370, the authorization sever 150 tracks the successful request,and data relating to the transaction is stored in the transactiondatabase 160. The data stored in the transaction database 160 mayinclude the dollar value credited to the machine and the commission paidfor the transaction. If the authorization server 150 has identified theplayer 110 performing the transaction, the player's identity may also bestored in the transaction database 160 and associated with the othertransaction data. The authorization server 150 may identify the player110 by requesting that the player enter identifying information into thegaming machine 120. The identifying information may be provided byhaving the player 110 swipe the PTC 140, which uniquely identifies theplayer 110, through the card reader on the gaming machine 120. If theplayer is awarded gaming points for performing a successful cashlessgaming transaction, the points may be accumulated, stored, andassociated with the player 110 on the player's club database 180.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, if the player 110 selects thetransaction type “Credit to Credit Card,” step 400, the gaming machine120 proceeds with a credit to credit card transaction, which requeststhat credit be added to the independent financial account. This type oftransaction is particularly appropriate when the player 110 hascompleted playing on the gaming machine 120 and wishes to “cash out” hisor her winnings or the remaining credit on the gaming machine. Theplayer 110 may cash out either all of the credits or a portion of thecredits. In this aspect of the present invention, the independentfinancial account is typically a credit card account, and the bank card135 is typically a credit card that is associated with the credit cardaccount.

At step 410, the gaming machine 120 prompts the player 110 to enter adesired credit value that the player 110 wishes to add to theindependent financial account that is associated with the bank card 135.If necessary, the gaming machine 120 will also prompt the player 110 toenter a PIN, which is used to verify permission to access to theindependent financial account, and any other information that isrequired to transfer funds to the independent financial account.

At step 420, the gaming machine 120 electronically issues a creditrequest to the authorization server 150. The request includes thedesired credit value and at least a portion of the data derived from themachine readable information on the bank card 135. Although the requestattempts to transfer the desired credit value to the independentfinancial account, the total amount transferred to the independentfinancial account may actually be less than the desired credit value ifa commission is charged for performing the transaction. Theauthorization server 150 determines the total amount to request totransfer to the independent financial account. The total amount istypically the desired credit value less a commission or transaction fee.

At step 430, once the total request amount has been established, theauthorization sever 150 transmits the credit request to theauthorization center 190, which is associated with the independentfinancial account. At step 440, the authorization center 190 determineswhether to approve the request, and if the request is approved, theindependent financial account is credited with the total request amount.At step 450, if the request is not approved by the authorization center190, a decline message is transmitted from the authorization center 190to the authorization server 150. The authorization server then 150instructs the gaming machine 120 to display a message to the player 110indicating that the independent financial account was not credited.

At step 460, if the request is approved and the total request amount iscredited to the independent financial account, the authorization server150 receives notification from the authorization center 190 of thesuccessful request, and the authorization server 150 updates thetransaction database 160 to reflect the completed transaction. Datarelating to the transaction, such as the dollar value credited to thefinancial account and the commission paid for the transaction, is storedon the transaction database 160. If the authorization server 150 hasidentified the player 110 performing the transaction, the player'sidentity may also be stored in the transaction database 160 andassociated with the other transaction data. If the player is awardedgaming points for performing a successful cashless gaming transaction,the points may be accumulated, stored, and associated with the player110 on the player's club database 180. At step 470, the authorizationserver 150 transmits a receipt message to the gaming machine 120, and atstep 480, the gaming machine 120 issues a receipt to the player 110.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, if the player 110 selects thetransaction type “Deposit to Checking/Savings,” step 500, the gamingmachine 120 proceeds with a deposit to checking or savings accounttransaction. This transaction requests that a deposit be made to theindependent financial account. In this aspect of the present invention,the independent financial account is typically a checking or savingsaccount, and the bank card 135 is typically an ATM card that isassociated with the checking or savings account. This type oftransaction is also appropriate when the player 110 has completedplaying on the gaming machine 120 and wishes to cash out.

At step 510, the gaming machine 120 prompts the player 110 to enter adesired credit value that the player 110 wishes to add to theindependent financial account that is associated with the bank card 135.If necessary, the gaming machine 120 will also prompt the player 110 toenter a PIN, which is used to verify permission to access to theindependent financial account, and any other information that isrequired to transfer funds to the independent financial account.

At step 520, the gaming machine 120 electronically transmits a depositrequest to the authorization server 150. The request includes thedesired deposit value and at least a portion of the data derived fromthe machine readable information on the bank card 135. The authorizationserver 150 determines the total amount to request to transfer to theindependent financial account. The total amount is typically the desireddeposit value less a commission or transaction fee.

At step 530, once the total request amount has been established, theauthorization sever 150 issues a deposit request, such as an AutomatedClearing House (ACH) request, to the authorization center 190, which isassociated with the independent financial account. At step 540, theauthorization center 190 determines whether to approve the request, andif the request is approved, the total request amount is deposited in theindependent financial account. At step 550, if the request is notapproved by the authorization center 190, a decline message istransmitted from the authorization center 190 to the authorizationserver 150. The authorization server then 150 instructs the gamingmachine 120 to display a message to the player 110 indicating that thedeposit was not made to the independent financial account.

At step 560, if the request is approved and the total request amount isdeposited in the independent financial account, the authorization server150 receives notification from the authorization center 190 of thesuccessful request, and the authorization server 150 updates thetransaction database 160 to reflect the deposit. Data relating to thetransaction, such as the dollar value deposited to the financial accountand the commission paid for the transaction, is stored in thetransaction database 160. If the authorization server 150 has identifiedthe player 110 performing the transaction, the player's identity mayalso be stored in the transaction database 160 and associated with theother transaction data. If the player is awarded gaming points forperforming a successful cashless gaming transaction, the points may beaccumulated, stored, and associated with the player 110 on the player'sclub database 180. At step 570, the authorization server 150 transmits areceipt message to the gaming machine 120, and at step 580, the gamingmachine 120 issues a receipt to the player 110.

Integrated Player Tracking/Cash Access System on ATM, CCCA, and CheckCashing Terminals

In another aspect of the present invention, the system 100 provides forintegrating player tracking and cash access transactions. As previouslydescribed, when the player 110 requests a credit transfer to the gamingmachine 120 using the bank card 135, the machine may prompt the player110 to provide the PTC 140 to identify the player to the gaming machine.Further, when the player attempts to obtain cash from the bankingmachine 130 using the bank card 140, the banking machine 130 may alsoprompt the player to provide the PTC 140 as described herein.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, to initiate a cash access transaction,the player 110 introduces the bank card 135, which is associated withthe player's independent financial account, into the banking machine130, at step 600. In a preferred embodiment, the machine readableinformation on the bank card 135 is encoded in a magnetic strip, and theplayer 110 swipes the bank card 135 through the card reader (not shown)of the banking machine 130. The card reader is configured to read theencoded magnetic strip. After the player's bank card 135 is introducedto the banking machine 130, the card reader electronically reads anddecodes the machine readable information on the banking card. Thebanking machine 130 processes the information to translate it into ausable format.

In addition to providing the bank card 135 to the banking machine 130,the player 110 also enters into the banking machine 130 a desired cashvalue that the player wishes to obtain from the banking machine 130. Ifnecessary, the player 110 will also enter a PIN, which is used to verifypermission to access to the independent financial account, and any otherinformation that is required to access funds from the independentfinancial account.

At step 605, the banking machine 130 prompts the player to provide thePTC 140, and at step 610, the player 110 decides whether to provide thePTC 140. If the player 110 does not decide to provide the PTC 140, thebanking machine 130 proceeds with the cash access transaction. At step615, the banking machine 130 electronically issues a request to theauthorization server 150, which attempts to obtain cash from theindependent financial account. The request includes the desired cashvalue and at least a portion of the data derived from the machinereadable information on the bank card 135. Although the request attemptsto transfer the desired cash value to the player 110, the total amountrequested from the independent financial account may actually exceed thedesired cash value to allow for commissions and bank charges that may beassessed for performing the transaction.

The authorization server 150 determines the total amount to request fromthe independent financial account, which is typically the desired cashvalue plus the commission or transaction fee. As previously described,the commission or transaction fee may be determined based on the playerprofile of the player 110. Once the total request amount has beenestablished, the authorization sever 150 transmits the cash request tothe authorization center 190, which is associated with the independentfinancial account.

At step 620, the authorization center 190 determines whether to approvethe request. At step 625, if the request is not approved by theauthorization center 190, a decline message is transmitted from theauthorization center 190 to the authorization server 150. Theauthorization server then 150 instructs the banking machine 130 todisplay a message to the player 110 indicating that the request failed.At step 630, if the request is approved by the authorization center 190,an authorization message is transmitted from the authorization center190 to the banking machine 130. The desired cash value is dispensed bythe banking machine 130 to the player 110. If a commission is requiredfor the transaction, the additional amount of the commission is alsotransferred from the independent financial account to the partyreceiving the commission.

Returning to step 610, where the player 110 decides whether to providethe PTC 140, if the player 110 chooses to provide his or her PTC 140 tothe banking machine 130, the system 100 will be able to track the cashaccess transaction performed by the player 110. At step 635, if theplayer provides the PTC 140 to the banking machine 130, the bankingmachine reads the PTC. The PTC 140 includes machine readableinformation, which is stored on the PTC by a storage means such as amagnetic strip, barcode, integrated circuit, digital image, opticalmemory, or finger imaging.

The banking machine 130 is configured to read the machine readableinformation on the PTC 140, and at step 640 the banking machine 130attempts capture the machine readable information. If the machinereadable information is encoded, the banking machine 130 attempts todecode the information into a usable format. The banking machine 130determines whether the machine readable information on the PTC 140 isreadable and correctly formatted, and, if not, the banking machine 130displays a message to the player 110 indicating the error.

If the machine readable information is readable and correctly formatted,the banking machine 130 attempts to identify the player 110 anddetermine whether the PTC can be validated against the transactiondatabase 160 or the player's club database 180 by transmitting thedecoded information from the banking machine 130 to the authorizationserver 150. The authorization server 150 then communicates with thetransaction database 160 or the player's club database 180 to verifythat the PTC is valid and to identify the player 110. If the PTC cannotbe validated against one of the databases, the banking machine 130displays a message to the player 110 indicating the error. If the PTC issuccessfully validated, the banking machine 130 continues processing therequest.

Once the banking machine 130 collects the necessary transactioninformation, the machine electronically issues a request to theauthorization server 150, which attempts to obtain cash from theindependent financial account. The request includes the desired cashvalue and at least a portion of the data derived from the machinereadable information on the bank card 135. As described herein, thetotal amount requested from the independent financial account mayactually exceed the desired cash value to account for commissions andbank charges that may be assessed for performing the transaction. Theauthorization server 150 determines the total amount to request from theindependent financial account. Once the total request amount has beenestablished, the authorization sever 150 transmits the cash request tothe authorization center 190, which is associated with the independentfinancial account.

At step 645, the authorization center 190 determines whether to approvethe request. At step 650, if the request is not approved by theauthorization center 190, a decline message is transmitted from theauthorization center 190 to the authorization server 150. Theauthorization server 150 then instructs the banking machine 130 todisplay a message to the player 110 indicating that the request failed.Although the transaction was not successful insofar as the player 110did not receive the requested cash, the transaction information istracked and recorded nonetheless. At step 655, upon receiving thedecline message, the authorization server 150 stores the relevanttransaction information on the transaction database 160.

Returning to step 645, where the authorization center 190 determineswhether to approve the request, if the request is approved by theauthorization center 190, an authorization message is transmitted fromthe authorization center 190 to the banking machine 130 via theauthorization server 150 at step 660. The desired cash value isdispensed by the banking machine 130 to the player 110. If a commissionis required for the transaction, the additional amount of the commissionis also transferred from the independent financial account to the partyreceiving the commission. At step 665, upon receiving the authorizationmessage, the authorization server 150 stores the relevant transactioninformation on the transaction database 160.

Multi-Function Player Tracking Card

In yet another aspect of the present invention, the system 100 providesfor an alternate method of performing integrated player tracking andcash access transactions. In this aspect of the present invention, amethod is provided that facilitates player tracking and cash accesstransactions with a single card, rather than with the combination of thebank card 135 and the player tracking card 140. This aspect of theinvention requires the player to initially provide financial accountinformation to the casino, and that information is stored in thecashless gaming database 170. A subsequent withdrawal request can thenbe issued to the independent financial account without requiring a bankcard, such as an ATM card or credit card, as described herein.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, at step 700 the player 110 opens anaccount with the casino or with a vendor that manages accounts on thecasino's behalf. To open the account, the player 110 provides specificinformation to the casino. This can be accomplished by the player 110completing a form that includes personal data and information relatingto the player's independent financial account. As previously described,the independent financial account may be any type of financial account,such as a banking account or credit card account. The player 110 mayalready have a card associated with the financial account, such as anATM card, a credit/debit card. Alternatively, where the financialaccount is a checking account, the player might have existing checksthat include a routing number and an account number, which the playercan provide to the casino.

The account information provided by the player 110 may include data suchas the player's name and other identifying information, an account androuting number, and a PIN. The player 110 may also be required toprovide other personal information such as the player's address,telephone number, and social security number. The player 110 may havealready provided some of this information to the casino, for instance,if the player 110 previously applied for a player tracking card 140. Ifthe casino already has the player's personal information, it may not benecessary to re-acquire the information. The player 110 may also berequired to prove his or her identity at the time the account is openedby providing a state-issued identification card, such as a driver'slicense.

At step 705, the information provided by the player is either enteredelectronically into a computer or written on a paper form and laterentered into a computer by a casino representative. Once the casino hasacquired the necessary information from the player 110, the financialaccount information and the player's personal information are stored andassociated in the cashless gaming database 170. The player 110 is issueda unique identifier, typically a number or alpha-numeric string, that isalso stored on the cashless gaming database 170 and associated with theplayer's financial account information.

At step 710, once the casino has acquired the necessary personalinformation and financial account information from the player 110, thecasino issues the player 110 a PTC 140 that bears the unique identifierthat was assigned to the player 110 and stored in the cashless gamingdatabase 170. The unique identifier borne by the PTC 140 is readable byboth the gaming machine 120 and the banking machine 130. As describedherein, the gaming machine 120 and the banking machine 130 can read theunique identifier on the PTC 140, communicate with the cashless gamingdatabase 170, and match the unique identifier with the player'sfinancial account information and personal information stored on thecashless gaming database 170.

The player 110 may now use the PTC 140 to access cash or credit from thegaming and banking machines, or to perform any other function that couldotherwise be performed by an ATM card or a credit/debit card that isassociated with the independent financial account. For instance, if theplayer 110 introduces the PTC 140 to the gaming machine 120, the playermay request that a credit be added to the gaming machine directly fromthe independent financial account. Alternatively, if the player 110introduces the PTC 140 to the banking machine 130, the player may issuea cash request from the financial account without providing a bank card.

The following example describes the process of accessing cash from thebanking machine 130 with the PTC 140, but a similar process may beperformed to access credit on the gaming machine 120 with the PTC 140.At step 715, the player 110 initiates a cash access transaction byintroducing the PTC 140 into the banking machine 130. As previouslydescribed, the machine readable information on the PTC 140 is encoded,and the player 110 swipes the PTC 140 through the card reader of thebanking machine 130, which handles the encoded information. After theplayer's PTC 140 is introduced to the banking machine 130, the cardreader retrieves the unique identifier on the PTC by electronicallyreading and decoding the machine readable information.

In addition to providing the PTC 140 to the banking machine 130, theplayer 110 also enters into the banking machine 130 a desired cash valuethat the player 110 wishes to obtain. If necessary, the player 110 alsoenters a PIN, which is used to verify permission to access to theindependent financial account, and any other information that isrequired to access funds from the independent financial account.

At step 720, the unique identifier on the PTC 140 is matched to the sameunique identifier that is stored on the cashless gaming database 170. Toaccomplish this step, the banking machine 130 transmits the uniqueidentifier read from the PTC 140 to the authorization server 150. Theauthorization server 150, in turn, communicates with the cashless gamingdatabase 170 in an attempt to match the unique identifier with theidentifiers stored on the cashless gaming database 170. Theauthorization server 150 transmits the unique identifier read from thePTC 140 to the cashless gaming database 170 and issues a query todetermine whether the same unique identifier is stored on the cashlessgaming database 170. Once the cashless gaming database 170 locates theunique identifier issued in the query, at step 725, the cashless gamingdatabase 170 retrieves the financial account information associated withthe unique identifier and transmits the appropriate financial accountinformation to the authorization server 150. The specific financialaccount information retrieved is dependent upon the cash accesstransaction requested by the player 110 in step 715 and the type offinancial account from which the cash is being requested. For instance,certain requests may require an account routing number or a PIN, whereasthis information may not be appropriate for other types of cash accessrequests.

At step 730, the authorization server 150 electronically issues arequest to obtain cash from the independent financial account. Therequest includes the desired cash value and at least a portion of thefinancial account information retrieved from the cashless gamingdatabase 170. Although the request attempts to transfer the desired cashvalue to the player 110, the total amount requested from the independentfinancial account may actually exceed the desired cash value to accountfor commissions and bank charges that may be assessed for performing thetransaction. The authorization server 150 determines the total amount torequest from the independent financial account, and once the totalrequest amount has been established, the authorization sever 150transmits the cash request to the authorization center 190, which isassociated with the independent financial account.

At step 735, the authorization center 190 determines whether to approvethe request. At step 740, if the request is not approved by theauthorization center 190, a decline message is transmitted from theauthorization center 190 to the authorization server 150. Theauthorization server then 150 instructs the banking machine 130 todisplay a message to the player 110 indicating that the request failed.Although the transaction was not successful insofar as the player 110did not receive the requested cash, the transaction information istracked and recorded nonetheless. Upon receiving the decline message,the authorization server 150 stores the relevant transaction informationon the transaction database 160.

Returning to step 735, where the authorization center 190 determineswhether to approve the request, if the request is approved by theauthorization center 190, an authorization message is transmitted fromthe authorization center 190 to the banking machine 130 via theauthorization server 150 at step 745. At step 750, the desired cashvalue is dispensed by the banking machine 130 to the player 110. If acommission is required for the transaction, the additional amount of thecommission is also transferred from the independent financial account tothe party receiving the commission. At step 755, the transactioninformation is tracked and recorded in the transaction database 160.Upon receiving the authorization message, the authorization server 150stores the relevant transaction information on the transaction database160.

In another aspect of the present invention, the player 110 interactingwith the gaming machine 120 may similarly use the PTC 140 and thefinancial account information stored on the cashless gaming database 170to transfer the desired cash value to the player by directly creditingthe gaming machine 120 from the independent financial account. The stepsrequired to perform this type of transaction are comparable to the stepsdescribed in FIG. 7, the primary differences being that the player 110interacts with the gaming machine 120 rather than the banking machine130 and rather than receiving the desired value in cash form, thedesired value is credited directly to the gaming machine 120 from theindependent financial account.

Because the transaction data may constitute valuable information to thecasino, the casino may issue gaming points to the player 110 based onthe number of withdrawal transactions performed by the player 110 withthe PTC 140 or the amount withdrawn in those transactions. The awardedgaming points may be stored in the transaction database 160 or theplayer's club database 180 and associated with the unique identifier onthe player's PTC 140. The system 100 thereby benefits both the playerand the casino by integrating cash access and player tracking.

FIG. 8 provides a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the banking machine 140 can beused to dispense a casino ticket or other identification card thatrepresents a cash value. In the first step, the casino patron (customer)swipes their identification card (such as a debit card, a credit card, astate issued ID or other identification token) and selects a financialtransaction. In this example, the selected financial transaction wouldbe the acquisition of a casino “ticket”. Following selection, an amountof money is entered and an account type is selected, such as an ATMand/or POS debit or credit request. In the preferred embodiment, anaccount type is selected in order to minimize any fees, overhead and/ormonetary limits. For example, a POS debit transaction may be preferredbecause it provides a higher limit withdrawal limit. Once the withdrawalamount and financial account have been collected, the banking machine140 requires confirmation of identity by asking for a secret password,or code or other security device. Once the player 110 confirms his/heridentity, the banking machine 140 will perform the requested transactionby transmitting request information to the ATM/Credit/POS debit network800.

In the preferred embodiment, a third party intermediary records auditinformation associated with any requests and approvals in order tosupport redemption and anti-fraud detection systems managed by a casinoor by the third party intermediary. Following approval of thetransaction and creation of an audit trail, a casino ticket (not shown)with the withdrawal value (or some portion thereof) is issued to theplayer 110 by the banking machine 140. In this context, a casino ticketcan be any number of identification cards or systems including a paperticket with a bar code, a magnetic stripe card, a smart card, RFID orother portable digital memory that is encoded with personal andfinancial information. This casino ticket can then be used on a gamingmachine as credit in connection with casino gaming or redeemed for cash.In the preferred embodiment, the customer 120 can either present thecasino ticket for validation by a cashier at a cashier cage 820 orinsert the casino ticket into a ticket redemption kiosk (includingkiosks integrated with one or more casino game machines or othermulti-purpose entertainment devices).

FIG. 8 provides a flow diagram illustrating one system that can be usedfor converting a ATM/POS debit/credit transaction into a negotiablecasino ticket that can be linked to a player tracking system. As oneskilled in the art would know, such a system provides a number ofadvantages over the prior art. The casino ticket could be negotiablewithin different areas (such as a group of mutually linked casinos,restaurants and service providers), to acquire different products orservices (such as 50% or more must be used to purchase goods), totrigger different bonuses or awards (free games, discounts, casinopoints), or any number of features that either limit negotiation orenhance the functionality and features available to the player 110.

For example, a customer/player 110 could link a debit card with aplayer-tracking card in a casino database such that, whenever that samedebit card is used to acquire a casino ticket, the ticket is encodedwith that customer's player tracking code or ID. This could further beused to initiate certain security procedures or verifications that arestored in the casino's database that is associated with that playertracking code. A player could be asked to enter certain identificationinformation (something they know, something they have or something theyare) on certain types of types of machines. Likewise, gaming featurescould be provided at casino gaming machines in which such a casinoticket was entered. A customer that has entered a casino ticket onto agame machine could be provided with gaming audio and visual content thatis associated with the user in the casino's player tracking/customerdatabase. This embodiment provides a number of advantages. The casinoticket provides a simple financial tool that is highly managed from bothan access standpoint (through dynamic security), from a negotiationstandpoint (where it can be used and how) that is still highly portableand personalized.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the presentinvention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit or central attributes thereof. In that the foregoingdescription of the present invention discloses only exemplaryembodiments thereof, it is to be understood that other variations arecontemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the present invention is not limited in the particularembodiments that have been described in detail therein. Rather,reference should be made to the appended claims as indicative of thescope and content of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for conducting cashless gaming fundmanagement on a gaming machine, the method comprising: electronicallyprocessing at least one personal identification card inserted by acustomer in order to retrieve machine readable information thereon,wherein the card is associated with at least one financial account;receiving a selection from the customer including a desired credit valueto be transferred; electronically issuing a request to confirm theavailability of the desired credit value from one of the associated thefinancial accounts, the request utilizing one or more fields of machinereadable information retrieved from the card; and transferring, uponconfirmation of the request, the desired credit value to a localfinancial account.